Electric cord-plug.



T. F. CLARK.

ELECTRIC CORD PLUG.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 27, 1914.

1, 1 26,394, Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

W/ T/VESSES m/ynvrlw 6 I Wwmw i Cigar/a UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTGE.

THOMAS E. CLARK, OF WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 HOBBS WALL PAPER, COMPANY, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC CORD-PLUG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented an. as, was.

Application filed June 27, 1914}. Serial Ito. 847,675.

' vice can be readily attached to or detached from a lamp or wall socket or equivalent means connected with an electric supply circuit.

The general objects of the present invention are to improve and simplify-the construction of devices of the character referred to so as to be reliable and eflicient in use,

comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and so designed that electric connections can be easily made or broken.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel form of circuit connector which is especially adapted for portable lights or other current consuming devices, whereby aany longitudinal strain or pull on the cord conductorwill not cause the parts to become disconnected and broken or damaged.

In carrying out the attaching plug for lamp sockets and the like may be employed-with the insulating base or porcelain part thereof made in two sections that are slidably connected by a relative movement transversely to the axis of the plug, the sections having interlocking parts which withstand a separating strain coincident with the axis. The outer section is fixedly connected with the wires of the cord conductor and is provided with contacts which engage with contacts on the other section of the plug, one set of contacts being spring so as to make good electrical connections with the other contacts. The threaded shell contact and the central contact are of usual construction so as to screw into a lamp socket, and these parts are electrically connected respectively with the contacts in the body of the plug with which the contacts on the detachable part or sec- I tion normally engage. Thus, the plug is attached to a lamp socket in the usual man invention the usual ner to derive current from a supply circuit,

but if the cord conductor is desired to be re moved it is simply necessary to detach the removable section of the plug by a relative lateral movement while the body part of the plug remains in the lamp socket.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to'the accompanying drawing forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the attaching plug; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the removable section-detached; Fig. 3 is a side view of the body section of the plug with the removable section detached; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4, Fig. 3, with the removable section of the plug detached; and Fig. 5 is a similar view with the removable section attached.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the attaching plug and B the cord conductor through which current is supplied to a lamp or equivalent translating device. The invention is shown applied in the present instance to a lamp socket plug, but it is to be understood that it can be applied to other devices for obtaining a connection with the supply circuit.

The plug comprises a base section 1 and an outer or removable section 2, which is detachable from the body or base section 1 by a relative lateral movement, or in a plane transverse to the axis of the plug. As shown in Fig. 2, this removable section is in the form of a ring having a central opening 3 through which the wires of the cord conductor B extend. This ring 2 has a tongue or projection 4 provided with lateral wings or shoul ders 5, so that it is approximately T-shaped in cross-motion, as shown in Fig. 1. On the inner face 6 of this tongue or projection are screws or equivalent means 7 which serve to tion 2, and they are normally sprung up from the top surface 10 of the projection 4. A lip 11 is formed on the projection 4 at the outer surface thereof, and the free eno's of the spring contacts 8 and 8' lie inwardly interlocking flanges and whichextend transversely to the axis of the plug and thereby withstand any separating strain applied in the line of the axis. In this chamber 12 are fixed contacts 17 and 17' which are engaged by the contacts 8 and 8' respectively.- The contact 17 is secured in place bya screw or equivalent means 18 which forms an electrical connection between such contact and a threaded shell contact 19 on the plug, and the contact 17 is held in place by a screw or equivalent means 20 which also secures the central contact 21 to the plu and electrically connects the contacts 1! and 21. Between the contacts 17 and 17 there is formed a partition or barrier 22 which is adapted to tween the contacts.

lie between the contacts 8 and 8 when the two parts of the plug are assembled, so that there is no danger of short-circuiting be- This partition or baffle may-be formed integral with the porcelain parts or base 1 of the plug.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A connector of the classy described comprising a base section, a detachable section, conductors connected with the detachable section and subject to a strain tending to separate the sections, means for detachably connecting the sections by relative movement transversely to the line of strain, and contacts arranged on the respective sections to engage when the latter are assembled.

2. An electric connector comprising a base sectlon, a removable section having an opening, conductors extending into the opening and fastened to the removable section and subject to a strain tending to separate the sections, one of the sections having a chamber, a tongue on the other section to extend into the chamber, interlocking flanges on the walls of the chamber and sides of the tongue for permitting the sections to be connected or disconnected by relative sliding movement transverse to the line of strain on the conductors, contacts on the removable section and to which the con ductors are connected, and contacts on the other section to engage with the contacts of the removable section when the sections are assembled.

3. An electric connector comprising two detachably-connected sections, one section having a chamber and the other a part ex tending into the chamber and provided with grooves, flanges in the chamber arranged to engage in the grooves of the said part, a partition in the chamber, contacts fastened in the chamber at opposite sides of the partition, contacts 'on the said part and spaced from each other to lie at op-' posite sides of the partition and arranged to engage respectively the first-mentioned contacts, and conductors connected with the contacts.

4. An electric socket plug, comprising a base section, a removable section having an opening, conductors extending into the opening, a tongue or extension on the removable section, contacts on the said tongue and connected with the respective conductors, a chamber in the base section and open in two faces thereof to receive the said tongue of the removable section, interlocking shoulders on the said tongue and in the chamber, whereby the sections are separable and connectible by relative lateral movement transverse to the axis of the plug, contacts in the chamber arranged to be engaged respectively by the first-men- .tioned'conta-cts, a shell contact on the base section, a conductor for connecting the shell contact with one of the contacts of the chamber, a central contact on the exterior of the plug and concentric wit the shell contact, and means for connecting the central contact with the other contact in the chamber.

In testimony whereof 1 have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS F. CLARK.

Witnesses: 1,4. P. COLE,

*W, J. DAUBNEY. 

